Sound Scarab
by Talon83
Summary: A chance meeting reveals the true past of the Blue Scarab. "Soundwave, you have returned." "Who?" SoundwaveXAirachnid / Au Prime verse / Blue BeetleXIhaven'tdecidedyetsomaybe
1. Prologue

5000 years ago...

The hulking mass of the Nemesis loomed above the polar region of a remote planet. Inside the mighty warship, a battle was being fought for a dead world light-years away. But the millennia old war did not concern the mech called Soundwave as he fell to the planet below, his systems shutting down one by one as he went. His only care was for his sparkmate and creations. To never again focus his optics upon them, his only fear.

The quiet spymaster had planned for the event of his own demise, however: a mental transfer. A variant of the cortical psychic patch, it would upload his mind into a data storage unit until his frame could be recovered and repaired. At which point the procedure would be reversed, downloading him back into his body. He had never tested it on himself before, but he was certain the device would work. The procedure had been successful on that Autobot prisoner-turned-live test subject, after all. After sending a wave of comfort and reassurance to his sparkmate through the bond they shared, he severed the connection to spare her the pain he knew would follow. He waited until the last second to send one final message to his creations /Eject: Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy, Laserbeak. Operation: retrieval of transfer unit once transfer is complete/

Then, trusting his fate to a higher power in which he did not believe, he began the transfer sequence. Pain like none he had ever felt coursed through his frame as his mind was transferred into the device hooked to his upper back.

Just before the darkness claimed him, he could have sworn he heard his sparkmate's laughter. Then he knew no more.

Soundwave's lifeless frame slammed into the tundra of the arctic landscape in an explosion of snow and ice.

* * *

Present

He was running faster than he ever had before. Through the woods, around trees, over fallen logs; blindly, Jaime ran. He had to run, had to hide. He had to get away from his pursuers. The three teens chasing him had cornered him after school every day for the past month. Normally, they would've shoved him around a bit and left it at that. But this time, this time they had knives. Jaime knew all too well what would happen if they caught him, and so he ran.

He was so intent upon escaping that he didn't see the pit until he fell in. The force of his fall rendered him unconscious.

Hours passed and by the time Jaime awoke, night had fallen. Slowly, he got to his feet, hissing in pain when several scrapes and bruises made themselves known. "Probably got 'em when I fell ...down... here...?" he trailed off as he took in his surroundings. He was in a tunnel – manmade, too, if the cement and flickering overhead lighting were anything to go by. Overall, it looked like a military bunker he had seen in a movie once; complete with damp walls and the echo of dripping water.

Looking up, he realized that the hole he had fallen through was a good six feet above his head. He wouldn't be getting out that way. Behind him, the way was blocked by rubble; couldn't get out that way either. Jaime guessed it must have caved in at some point. Seemed going forward was the only way out.

His footsteps echoed loudly as he traversed the subterranean passage. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he came upon an open metal door that hung loosely on rusted hinges. Cautiously, he crept into the room, uncertain of what he would find.

Dusty banks of machinery lined the walls. Faded, broken vials were scattered all over the floor. The few that were intact were full of some sort of weird liquid that looked suspiciously like blood. Jaime forced himself not to notice that it was glowing blue. But there was something else here, something far stranger than blue, glow-in-the-dark blood: the object sitting on an examination table in the center of the room. It looked like a robotic blue scarab.

Jaime hadn't even noticed that he had walked towards it until he reached out to touch it without thinking. He yanked his hand back as if stung, but not fast enough to avoid the jolt of electricity that arced from the scarab to his hand, holding him in place. Unable to move, he could only watch helplessly as it seemed to shift and then surged towards him. He cried out in terror as it latched painfully onto his back. He collapsed and lay there on his side, slowly blacking out from the pain.

Just before the darkness claimed him, he could have sworn he heard his own voice say "Request: report status." Then he knew no more.

Jaime lay motionless as the scarab sent out a single electronic pulse.

* * *

/_Detected: anomaly in subsonic frequencies. Frequency match: Creator's homing beacon_/

/_It's the Boss!_/

/_I thought those slaggin' Autobots off-lined him_/

/_Laserbeak's findings suggest otherwise. Trace the anomaly's source_/

/_Source location: Earth_/


	2. Found You

Arlington Nuclear Power Plant, Virginia; Present...

'Energy adjusted: pro- Incoming: four unknown energy signals from multiple directions.' As soon as the scarab reported this, laser fire rained down on the battlefield. While it seemed to be concentrated on the golem; several stray shots hit Superboy in quick succession, rendering him unconscious. Fire from behind Jaime joined the onslaught. In a matter of minutes, the golem was reduced to rubble. Apparently, the source of the energy signals had arrived. Dimly, Jaime noticed that they were robots. One of them had wings, while another greatly resembled a panther. The final two would have been identical, were it not for their different color paint jobs.

The four robots turned to Jaime, their weapons raised. Jaime quickly raised his arm, expecting the trigger happy AI to transform it into a weapon. When no transformation came, he panicked, saying "You know, a plasma cannon would be _really_ nice right now!"

Said AI's completely uncharacteristic response certainly didn't help: 'Negative. Weapon systems: deactivating. Hostile intent: not detected.' The fact that they had him surrounded, weapons still raised didn't help either.

"They look pretty damn hostile to me!"

'Energy signals: register as friendly.' the scarab replied stubbornly.

"And you know this... how exactly?"

'Additional data: unavailable.' the normally violent AI's tone may as well have been a shrug.

The attack Jaime expected never came. Their weapons folded away into their bodies, the motion oddly familiar. Suddenly, all four lunged at him, clicking and beeping. The look-alikes grabbed him around the middle from both sides, pinning his arms. The huge paws of the cat landed on his stomach, knocking him over. The one with wings latched onto his chest. Never had Jaime been so certain that he was about to die.

* * *

Although Jaime didn't know it, none of the Cassettes had any intention of harming him. They were arguing, in fact.

/_Source of anomaly: directly ahead_/ Laserbeak reported.

Frenzy radiated horrified shock /_That _squishy_ shows up on the scanner as the Boss?_/

/_HA! Something's wrong with your sensors, Beaky-boy_/ Rumble added, trying to hide his own disappointment.

/_Rumble: will _desist_ usage of incorrect designation immediately. Behavior: annoying and immature_/

/_Who are you, his Carrier?_/ Frenzy sneered.

/_Threat: if Rumble and Frenzy do not mute vocalizers_-/

/_Settle down, you three. Before I have to make you. And put your weapons away, you're scaring him_/ Ravage, the eldest of the four interjected, her patience wearing thin.

The link was quiet for a few nano-kliks before /_Hey, Ravage. Dog pile on the Boss?_/

Ravage paused to hide her own excitement before she answered /_... If you must_/

No sooner had she said this than Rumble and Frenzy launched themselves their Creator and hugged him for all they were worth, chattering excitedly in Cybertronian. "BOSS!" "Where have you been?" "What happened?" "The scary femme has been so worried that she doesn't even bother to yell at us when we prank the Vehicons anymore!" "Why are you a squishy?" "Can we have some high-grade?"

Ravage was only slightly more composed as she tackled her Creator, purring like the organic she had been modeled after.

Laserbeak merely glided to his customary perch on his master's chest. Latching on so he wouldn't fall off if Soundwave stood up, the Cassette made himself comfortable.

* * *

Jaime slowly realized that they didn't seem to want to kill him. An idea that was somewhat at odds with their ownage of the golem earlier. He was trying to figure out what the look-alikes were saying when he heard something. Looking at the cat, he realized that it was purring.

Then, a strange feeling filled his mind, almost as if he were sharing it with someone. He was bombarded by emotions that weren't his. Nope, _definitel_y not his. 'Cause he sure as Pit wasn't happy _or _relieved - wait, 'Pit'? Where had that come from? Stranger still, he began to understand what the twins – how did he know they were twins? – were saying. He only caught the tail end of their tirade, however: "...a squishy?" "Can we have some high-grade?"

Jaime's only response to this before he fainted was an ever so intelligent "Wha...?"

* * *

Ravage was the first to notice that her Creator had gone into stasis. She also saw that the Kryptonian was coming back online. Loathe as she was to leave Soundwave so soon after they had found him, she knew it was for the best.

/_Let's get back to the Nemesis_/ Ravage ordered. /_Laserbeak, do a facial recognition scan. Rumble, Frenzy, keep the Krytonian in stasis while Laserbeak does the scan_/

/_What-we're leaving him here?_/ Frenzy squawked.

/_Do you _really_ think Starscream is going to hesitate to offline Soundwave if he finds out he's a squishy...?_/ she snapped.

Rumble joined his twin in protest /_But what about-_/

/_Now_/ she repeated firmly. She turned and began to leave. Then added soothingly /_We will come back for him, but now isn't the time_/

/_Sounwave's current form: may not survive transit from surface to Nemesis. Informing sparkmate: also necessary_/ Laserbeak added. He was the voice of logic, as always.

/_S'long as you're the one who tells her...Beaky_/

/_Frenzy...!_/

* * *

Airachnid paced the length of their – _her_ quarters. She vented air slowly with a rueful smile; five thousand years, and she _still _couldn't get him out of her processer. Lately, even Lord Megatron himself had begun to feel it detrimental. And that mech didn't give a frag what his officers did in their spare time. Suddenly, she heard the familiar whoosh of an opening door. Only a select few 'Cons had the access code to that door, and all four of them were painful reminders of what she had lost back then, why she was the way she was now.

"What do you want now...? she drawled in a bored fashion, not turning around.

"We found him!" one of the twins – she never could tell which was which – announced proudly.

"I haven't time for your games. Found who?" she snarled, turning to face them. If this was another Primus-forsaken prank... In response, Laserbeak glided to the console on the far wall, and brought up the image of a human boy. She shot Ravage a questioning look.

"Good news is we found Soundwave."

"And the bad news...?" Airachnid raised an optic ridge.

"...He got turned into a squishy." Ravage admitted hesitantly.

"Oh." Airachnid turned to the console with renewed interest, and gestured to the image, "So I take it that's him? Run a facial recognition scan."

"Laserbeak already did. His name's Jaime Reyes, age 15 Earth-years, lives in El Paso, Texas in America and he attends an educational facility called Rio Grande High School. He's also what the natives call a super hero."

"'Super hero'...?"

"This planet's version of an Autobot."

"I want him out of there. Now."

* * *

Ravage thanked Primus that Airachnid hadn't blasted them with webbing when they told her the news-

"Wait a klik- WHY DID YOU LEAVE HIM THERE?" Airachnid webbed all four of them to the ceiling.

Apparently, she had spoken too soon.


	3. Does This Count As Kidnapping?

The second Jaime woke up, a harsh scent greeted him. Disinfectant. Primus, he hated that smell; reminded him too much of Knock Out. 'Primus'? 'Knock Out'? What- Never mind, he didn't care anymore. Wherever he was, it was probably a med bay of some sort. He decided to keep his eyes closed until he could figure out where he was.

"...Couple of stray energy bolts hit me; knocked me out, actually." he heard Conner saying.

The Cave's med lab, then. But who was Conner talking to?

"Then what happened?" Nightwing prompted.

"Don't know. When I woke up, the golem was dead and Blue was out cold."

Deciding he had heard enough, he sat up. "Ugh... my skull..." Jaime groaned, clutching his head. Seeing this, Nightwing turned to Jaime and said, "Good, you're up. Care to tell me what happened after Superboy was knocked out?"

As anticipated, the guy wanted to interrogate him right after he woke up... Great.

'Agreed.'

"No it- what?" No, the Scarab did not just agree with him, right?

'Recommendation: do not respond vocally. Response through thought: received.' the scarab paused and added, 'Concealing all Cybertronian involvement: strongly advised.'

"What's a Cybertronian?" Jaime accidentally asked aloud out of habit.

"Martian boogeyman." Batman said. Jaime had to resist the urge to flinch; he hadn't even heard the man come in. The scarab's definition was rather different: 'Cybertronians: a species of autonomous robotic organisms. Home world: Cybertron.' Right, giant robots, then.

"What. Happened?" Batman repeated

'Lying: favorable tactic.'

Deciding to actually listen to the scarab's advice for once, Jaime said "I... honestly don't know. I got knocked out right after Superboy."

It looked like Batman bought it, until "That still doesn't explain your apparent lack of energy burns."

This time, Jaime had an answer ready. "I think my armor might've protected me."

'Your capacity for deception: re-evaluated. Results: favorable.'

* * *

"Lord Megatron, I would like to request a private audience." Airachnid bowed low, praying her plan would work. She would need permission to use the Ground Bridge in any case. Especially if she were to use it to bring a squishy aboard, Soundwave or no.

Luck seemed to be on her side as the Supreme Leader of the Decepticons said "Granted. Walk with me." With this, he turned and left the bridge with Airachnid in tow.

"Now, what is so important that you felt the need to discuss it privately?"

"I... I have located Soundwave, my lord. However, I have need of the Ground Bridge to retrieve him."

"Excellent news. You may have use of the Bridge." Megatron said. She was about to thank him for his 'graciousness' when he added "However, that does not explain your need for secrecy, Airachnid."

The difference between success and failure lay in her next words, and so she spoke carefully. "He was... turned into one of the natives, my lord."

"Then you had better recover him before some Autobot fool decides he needs 'protecting'."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

/_Are you sure about this...?_/ Frenzy sent nervously as he waited by the entrance to the 'school' facility, hidden in his stereo alt-mode.

/_Would I have had you put a tracker on him if I wasn't?_/ Ravage replied from her perch on a tree branch, unconcerned.

/_Not that, kidnapping him_/

/_We're not kidnapping him, we're_ rescuing_ him_/

/_Plus, what scary-femme wants, scary-femme tends to get, bro. The fact that we waited about seven solar-cycles to get him leaves us _a lot _less room to screw up_/ Rumble added. /_Here he comes!_/

Soundwave walked out of the building, heading for the street. He walked past Frenzy on his way down the steps. Frenzy quietly transformed behind him. Taking aim, he shot a dart full of sedative into the back of his Creator's neck. Soundwave let out a silent gasp and fell to the ground, already in stasis before he hit the pavement.

Ravage jumped down from the tree and raced to his side. /_Readings show his vitals are stable. Rumble, Frenzy, let's try to hurry it up a bit, shall we?_/

/_On it_/ Frenzy and Rumble each grabbed an arm and gently lifted him onto Ravage's back. Ravage used her tail to strap him in place. Satisfied that Soundwave was secure, she took off at a run for the rendezvous point outside of town.

Unknown to any of them, Batman had planted a tracker of his own on the unconscious youth.

After more than a few close calls with the local law enforcement, the Cassettes arrived at the rendezvous point where Laserbeak and a black helicopter were waiting for them. Ravage unhooked her tail from around the boy on her back and gently lowered him to the ground in front of the helicopter.

The helicopter transformed into Airachnid who knelt down to pick Soundwave up. She stood, cradling him gently next to her spark chamber. Smirking, she opened a comm channel.

"Requesting Ground Bridge."

* * *

Arcee seethed. It wasn't enough that Airachnid had tried to capture Jack, now she had other 'cons capturing random humans! She had to tell Optimus, Arcee could only imagine what might happen to the kid if they didn't save him. She transformed and sped back to base.

* * *

Jaime had been floating in and out of consciousness for a while. He was comfortable, and his sleep muddled mind didn't see fit to care much beyond that.

'WAKE UP!' the scarab demanded, jolting him fully awake. Frantically, he took in his surroundings. He was lying on a giant sized table. The metal-walled room he was in was similarly proportioned. Upon closer inspection, he realized that everything seemed to have been taken straight out of science fiction. The room was deserted, so it looked like he was in no immediate danger.

Jaime tried to think back to the last thing he remembered. He had been leaving school during his free period to look for Tye, and then... nothing.

"So, you're finally out of recharge." a feminine voice came from behind him "I was wondering when you would come back online." He paid no mind to the fact that he wasn't nearly as startled as he should have been that she snuck up on him. He had never seen this Cybertronian before, but he felt he knew her, somehow. A name swam slowly to the surface of his mind.

"...Airach... nid...?" he muttered it slowly. Airachnid. Was it her name, or someone else's? He yelped as he suddenly found himself being rubbed against her face plate.

"How sweet, you remembered!" Well this was new.


	4. Welcome Home

An hour later, aboard the Nemesis...

Airachnid knelt silently before a large gray mech who had his back turned to them. The instant he saw him, he felt a surge of... something. Was it loyalty...? He had never seen the mech before now, so why? After a moment, he said "Airachnid, report."

"My mission was a success, my lord."

At this, the mech turned and looked at him. "Ah, Soundwave, welcome back." he said, seeming genuinely pleased to see him.

Jaime blinked, confused. What was going on? Why did everyone keep calling him Soundwave? Who was Soundwave? Without realizing it, Jaime spoke the last part aloud.

The mech narrowed his optics. "I see a little _chat_ is in order." A small part of Jaime knew that he should be terrified by the vast rage those words held, just as the rest of him felt as if he had nothing to fear. That the large mech's anger wasn't directed at him. Then, like before, an oddly familiar name slowly emerged at the sight of a stranger's face: _Megatron_. Was that this one's name? After a moment, Megatron held out his hand.

* * *

"Who is Soundwave?"

Primitive organics erasing the memory of his third in command and most reliable officer, in addition to holding him captive, was _not_ something Megatron appreciated. Not in the least. Those Autobot fools and their human pets knew well enough that keeping _any_ Decepticon prisoner was not only_ abysmally_ foolish, it was suicidal as well. Contrary to what Optimus-Out-Of-Who's-Aft-The-Allspark's-Light-Shines-Forth-Unto-Us-All-Prime and his merry band would have the _rest_ of the galaxy believe; Decepticons could, would, and did indeed look after their own. _Violently_. As this part of the galaxy seemed to have _forgotten_ that little fact, this 'Justice League' could prove to be quite useful in reminding them. Yes, they would serve as an example of what it meant to cross Megatron – and by extension, the Decepticon Empire. Satisfied with his plan for now, he turned his attention back to the pair before him. "I see a little _chat_ is in order."

Megatron held out his hand to Airachnid, making it clear that she was to hand him Soundwave.

"But I-" she began to protest.

He cut her off, "_Now_, Airachnid."

She complied with a grudging "Yes, my lord."

Megatron held Soundwave up to eye-level. "You do not remember, but you are a proud Decepticon warrior. You are the Chief Communications Officer and my third in command. It is time for you to bear the Decepticon symbol with pride once more." so saying, he handed Soundwave back to Airachnid before continuing with "You are both dismissed."

* * *

"I _can_ walk, you know." Jaime didn't know where Airachnid was taking him, but he was fairly certain that she didn't need to carry him like a sparkling to get there.

"So? I like carrying you. Besides, the last time I let you walk, you fell and sustained damage."

"I'm just getting used to using the visor again, I swear!"

"Ah, here we are. Medbay." she announced as they finally stopped outside of a door. "Knockout! Where are you?"

A smooth tenor answered her. "No need to be so loud, Airachnid. I'm right here." The speaker stepped into view, revealing a cherry red mech that Jaime assumed was the one called Knockout. From the look of him, his alt mode was probably a sports car. He spotted Jaime. "So, care to explain why there's a skin job in my medbay?"

"This_ skin job_ is Soundwave. The natives captured him and erased his memories. For now, he's stuck like this."

"All very fascinating, I'm sure; but it doesn't explain what you want _me_ to do about it."

"It's quite simple, really. He needs to be put back into his Cybertronian body. And since _you're_ the ship's medic, _you're_ going to find a way to fix him. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

"Oh, and while you're at it, Lord Megatron wants you to graft our insignia onto both of Soundwave's shoulders."

"Yes, because I have tools small enough for that." Knockout's words oozed with sarcasm.

"You're a smart mech. I'm sure you'll figure it out." with that, she strode out of the medbay.

* * *

Three days later...

Glad as he was to be home, Jaime needed fresh air as it were. Swapping his uniform for a pair of shades, grey long sleeved shirt, black and grey sneakers, a loose pair of jeans, a black leather vest, and a dark blue bandanna on his head; he inwardly declared himself inconspicuous enough to visit a human settlement. "Hey Airachnid, I'm heading out for supplies. Can you 'Bridge me to Jasper, Nevada? I want to see if I can mess with the Autobots while I'm there." Jaime said on his way out of their shared quarters.

"Just take a Vehicon with you." she called after him.

"The Autobot recognize the Vehicons. Tell you what; I'll take Ravage with me, she has a vehicle mode. Happy?"

"Very."

* * *

Jack found himself minding the counter at the completely deserted KO Burger. He glanced at his watch, another hour till his shift ended. Wonderful. If only something interesting would happen... At this point, he'd even take a _Decepticon_ attack – not that he'd ever tell Arcee that.

Just then, he heard a motorcycle pull into the parking lot. Soon after, in walked a teen that Jack had never seen before. Wish granted; it seemed.

"Welcome to KO Burger where every patty's a knock out." Jack droned.

This seemed to amuse the teen, judging by the hints of mirth in his eyes. However, there was no trace of his amusement as he ordered a burger and fries. In fact, there wasn't single sign of _any_ kind of emotion in his voice. He wordlessly paid for his meal and left.

Jack looked at his watch again. Forty-five minutes. Great.

It was only after the guy had left that Jack realized something: the strange teen had known Jack's name despite the fact that Jack had never actually told it to him.


End file.
